In Italy, article 6 of the constitution guarantees the protection of minorities within its boundaries; regionalist parties usually represent the political arm of one of these minorities. The SVP (Südtiroler Volkspartei – South Tyrolean People's Party) represents the Germany-speaking minority in the province of Bozen/Bolzano. As it is build around the cleavage of minority-majority, it does not take left-right diversions into account, but encompasses representatives of both spectrums within its officials. In the past, the SVP sided with the more minority friendly left-centre coalition, but before the last legislature, the party chose a policy of non-alignment, hoping to gain more options for negotiation regardless of the most recent elections' outcome. This did not prove to be a fruitful policy: not having a partner at the national level made the exertion of influence very difficult, and Mario Monti's technical government did not even consult party members when regional interests were directly affected or at stake.
This paper therefore argues that protection measures for the political representation of minorities (such as a favorable quota system) may be enough to enter the national level, but they do not guarantee actual political representation – unless an important position in the giving or taking of majorities can be achieved, a powerful partner interested in the promotion of minority rights is the only way to exert influence. Situations of crisis as the one experienced in Italy and other European countries right now tend to be additionally disadvantageous for minorities, as no new competences can be gained and achieved privileges may be reduced or taken away entirely.
